Nearly every structure, whether it be a residence or business address, utilizes an outside water faucet. The outside water faucet may provide pressurized water for washing the facade of the structure, a vehicle parked near the structure, or simply access to water for sprinkling a landscaped area around the structure. Despite the convenience of an outside water faucet, it is impractical to perform all watering tasks directly in front of the faucet. The need to transfer water to a desired location is well known and typically performed by use of a water hose. In residential applications a water hose, or garden hose includes provisions for connecting one end of hose to the water faucet leaving a free end for attachment to a water distribution device such as a sprinkler or spray nozzle.
A problem arises during the use of a garden hose in that the inner volume of the hose is filled with water adding weight to the hose. Since water weighs approximately 7 pounds per gallon, a length of hose filled with water becomes a weighted object and when dragged across a landscape can easily smash flowers or other fragile objects in its path. While it would be most beneficial to have a second individual assist in guiding a hose to prevent such damage, typically a faucet is turned on allowing water to run through the hose wherein a lone individual drags the free end of the hose creating a long swath of weighted pipe which may disrupt tender landscape matter.
A particular problem arises when a hose is dragged around a flower bed since most flowers are fragile and susceptible to damage by objects having less mass than a filled water hose. The weight of a hose, and movement thereof operates as a sawing action that can quickly cut down an entire flower bed. This problem is not limited to movement of a hose around a flower garden as the washing of a vehicle also provides numerous obstacles that can snag the hose. For instance, when a hose is dragged around an automobile tire it can easily snag beneath a tire. In a typical residence there are numerous obstacles that may interfere with hose movement such as trees, steps, fences, statues, light posts, swing sets, gardens, and so forth. A weighted hose is difficult to move around any object, even the corner of a building as the weight of the hose can easily snag on the edge.
Various devices exist to address these problems such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,432 which discloses a U-shaped hose guide having a flexible body that attaches around the front of a tire. The device provides a smooth surface so as to prevent lodgment of a hose along the bottom of a tire when a vehicle is washed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,225 discloses yet another hose guide for use around an automobile tire. This device operates as a chock and is wedged along a side surface of the tire to prevent the hose from being trapped beneath the tire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,254 discloses another hose guiding device which includes a conduit member with a centrally disposed aperture. A garden hose is fed through the conduit which is staked to the ground providing a directional aperture for guiding of the hose. The problem with an aperture based guide is the need to move the device if the hose is moved in an opposite direction.
A multiple piece roller spike is also known in the art but is manufactured from a roller having two sections allowing a hose to jam during use.
Thus, what is needed in the art is an inexpensive, simplified hose guide that may be inserted into the ground in a temporary or permanent manner for guiding a hose to prevent landscape damage and snagging of the hose against objects.